Reflections of the Past
by quali-tea-individual
Summary: After being asleep for 5 years, Byleth returns to the ruined Garreg Mach to uphold the promise she made to her students. While looking for any sign of her where everyone might have gone, her mind is flooded with memories of the monastery, her students, and all that she has been through up to this point. Based on the beginning of the time-skip for BL [Slight BylethxDimitri]


Reflections of the Past

"Five years?"

"_How on earth could that be?"_ Byleth thinks to herself, in awe at the villager's words.

"Um, are you feeling all right? You didn't hit your head or anything, did you?" The man asks before continually to elaborate.

"_Ethereal Moon? 1185? But-but how?"_ Byleth's head begins to spin. The last thing she remembers was her fall at the battle of the monastery. Then nothing. Nothing for so, so long.

Until she was awoken by a familiar voice. A girlish, yet utterly stern voice that commanded her to wake up.

"_Have five years truly passed since that day?"_ She thinks before returning her attention to the man before her. "Tomorrow was supposed to be the millennium festival, but who's got the time to think about things like that?"

"The millennium festival…" In an instant, Byleth is consumed by memories of her students and the promise they had made to each other. Without caring to listen to the rest of the villager's words, she turns towards the monastery to depart.

"Hey! Slow down, will ya? Where do you think you're going?" He calls after her.

"The monastery." She replies, barely turning her head back towards the man. He attempts to warn her about the possibility of thieves, as well as the rumor of Imperial soldiers that mysteriously ended up slaughtered. However, nothing could stop Byleth from returning to Garreg Mach.

"My students are waiting for me."

By the time she reaches the monastery, it is the early morning; a few hours or so until sunrise. Had it not been for her exhaustion that lingered after reawakening, she would have been there even sooner. Finding her students was her one priority, and she had no intention of letting any form of exhaustion completely halt her search.

For the first time in what seems like forever, she gazes up at the architectural titan that is Garreg Mach. Despite the dim hue of the morning, the sight of it still amazes Byleth just as much as it did as the day she arrived.

Having traveled with Jeralt and his mercenary company for her whole life, Byleth had seen more of the world than the average person. However, nothing could match the feelings of intimidation and awe that she had when she first gazed her eyes upon what would soon be her new home. It was a marvel then, and despite the obvious wear and destruction that had occurred over the years, it was still a marvel now.

Hesitantly, she begins her way inside.

Entering through the marketplace, she immediately notices the difference in atmosphere. What was once a bustling hub for merchants, villagers, and students alike has now become a desolate square where the only visitors are that of vermin and the occasional thief looking to salvage whatever they can from the remaining stands.

Byleth quietly walks through the center of the marketplace, ensuring that her movements do not cause any sound that could alert dangerously unwanted company. Reaching the top of the stairs, she notices the gates to the entrance hall are wide open and that the spot typically occupied by the gatekeeper is empty. She chuckles silently to herself, remembering her joyful conversations with the young knight. While most everyone was friendly to her once she arrived at the monastery, his kind, fun-loving nature always stood out to her and made her feel significantly more welcome in this strange new place.

Her slight smile soon falls, thinking about what could have happened to the young man during these years. Had he died protecting the monastery five years ago? Had he escaped?

Thinking about the possibilities make her head spin, and so she attempts to push it to the back of her mind and push forward through the monastery.

Having sensed no immediate threats, Byleth continues to explore the various locations throughout Garreg Mach in hopes of discovering clues that will lead her to her students. To begin, she heads towards her former classroom; the Blue Lions classroom.

The once brilliant blue banners now hung tattered and torn outside of the classroom. As soon as Byleth enters, she is filled with a sense of warmth and familiarity.

Turning back to look at the door, she immediately pictures Sylvain coming into class late after chasing around his girl of the day. It was incredibly annoying, particularly during those first days as Byleth was still trying to get used to this new position of hers. However, as she grew closer to Sylvain, she began to understand his actions more and more. It began to happen less frequently, yet it still always caused a minor ruckus when it did. He would joke and make excuses all the way to his seat. During this, Ingrid would put her head in her palms and groan, having experienced the same excuses hundreds of times throughout her life.

"_Those two did always make quite the pair."_ Byleth thought, before continuing her investigation of the classroom.

Continuing through the desks, she notices a journal full of notes and things that she had said in class verbatim. There were also several silly songs scribbled in the margins, meaning that it could only belong to one person: Annette. Always the studious one, Annette would ask as many questions as she could whenever she could. During lectures, tutoring, anytime she saw Byleth off in the distance…yet it never got annoying. Annette had unending passion for everything in her life, whether it had been her studies or her friends. She quickly became one of Byleth's favorite students and fastest friends.

Finally, she made it up to the front the classroom where her desk lay dusty and undisturbed. Turning to look at the classroom before her, it was almost as if she could see the faces of all her students looking up at her expectantly, waiting for her to begin her lesson for the day. As if by routine, she opens her mouth to speak. Realizing that the seats in front of her are empty, Byleth feels her throat tighten a bit.

"I'm sorry that I've been gone for so long…"

Having found no leads as to the whereabouts of her students, Byleth heads towards the first-floor dormitories. She thought that perhaps someone left something behind that will give her a clue as to where everyone, _anyone_ could have gone to.

Weaving in and out of the rooms finding nothing of use, she arrives at the final dorm. She quietly pushes the heavy door open, revealing her own quarters. Entering the dark room, it seems as if time had stood still. Aside from a considerable layer of dust covering the room, nothing had changed – the bed was still haphazardly made after her last restless night in it, the last book she had read was still open to a dog-eared page on her desk, a training sword propped up in the corner after a sparring session with Felix, and her tea set still out after a spending an afternoon chatting with Mercedes and Ashe.

With a heavy sigh, Byleth takes a seat on her bed and gazes around the room feeling nostalgic for times gone by. Suddenly, she feels something hard beneath the covers. Pulling back the bedding reveals a familiar piece of jewelry: The Blue Lions Brooch that was given to her by her students on her birthday. Despite not being one for jewelry, even Byleth had to admit that it was gorgeous with its ornate design of a lion overlaying deep blue enamel. More than that, however, it was a reminder to her that her students cared for her enough to consider her "one of them." This brooch was a sign that Byleth would always be a member of the Blue Lions house, regardless of what the future would hold.

Clasping the brooch to her cloak, she remembers another piece of important jewelry and begins to panic. Finally, she remembers the delicate chain around her neck where hanging down from it is her mother's ring.

With a feeling of relief, as well as a flood of memories of her past, she decides it is time to pay her father a visit.

As Byleth reaches the cemetery, she is relieved to see her parents' grave undisturbed. In fact, there were even remnants from the last bouquet that Dedue had left. Long withered and dead, the fact that they remained for five years was miraculous. Dedue was always stoic and reserved yet understood loss far too well. He never hesitated to leave flowers at the grave when he could.

Looking over the scripture that was beginning to fade, she fell to her knees. Seeing Jeralt's name on the headstone still broke her, despite the apparent time that had passed.

Until her father's death, she had never felt true pain, never shed a tear, and truthfully, was not even sure what sadness really felt like. Of course, there were moments during her life that she had felt some sort of remorse for some of the lives that she took, but nothing nearly as devastating as how she felt after Jeralt's murder.

Byleth grasps the ring around her neck, thinking of some of her last memories with her father. She recalls the first time he showed her the ring, and his hope that she will be able to give it to someone that she loves someday.

Her grip tightens as she thinks about phrase "someone she loves." Turning her head around, she looks towards the goddess tower, in turn reviving more memories.

This time, she is taken back to the night of the ball. After dancing and mingling for most of the night, she was finally able to escape the festivities for even a little while. Such an event was overwhelming for Byleth as she had never been to something like that in her life. There was so much going on that she was sure she would not be missed at all were she to sneak away.

Then he appeared.

"Dimitri…" Byleth quietly said to herself.

After finding her, the two spent a good part of their night together in the goddess tower talking about anything that came to mind. She remembers him talking about the legend of goddess tower, joking about how they should wish to spend the rest of their lives together just as the legend says. Byleth could not help but blush at the thought of it, and undeniably felt a little hurt when he admitted that he was only kidding.

Dimitri was one of the first people to show her true kindness upon her arrival at the academy. He was her main ally during missions. He was her favorite person to talk with over tea.

Aside from the love she felt for her father and the adoration she had for her students, Byleth was not entirely sure what love was supposed to feel like.

From the first moment that she had laid eyes on him in battle, she knew that there was something unique about him. He was utterly skilled in combat yet was a charming and kind young man. However, there was an aura of darkness around him. For the longest while, Byleth could not place where it was coming from. However, it became painfully clear after the confrontation with The Flame Emperor, or Edelgard, in the Holy Tomb.

Dimitri was desperately seeking revenge against those who took his family away from him. She could not necessarily blame him but seeing him turn primal in a sense like he did in the tomb was one of the last things Byleth expected to come from the chivalrous young man. And yet…

She rose, still clasping the ring in her hands. While she was not sure if she loved him, she knew that there was something dear about Dimitri to her, and that that feeling would not go away.

She only wished that wherever he was that he was safe.

Having looked in every corner of the monastery for clues, Byleth's search proved fruitless. She could find nothing regarding the whereabouts of her former students.

"What about…our promise…" she says sadly under her breath.

Feeling discouraged, she begins to turn towards the entrance of Garreg Mach. Suddenly, just as the sun starts to poke its head toward the sky, Byleth realizes she neglected one area of the monastery.

The Cathedral.

Having not been raised religiously, Byleth was completely lost when it came to the teaching of the Church of Seiros. While doing her best to study, it still did not fully settle with her. Despite this, during her teaching days she would often come to the cathedral and gaze up at the beautiful stained glass or spend time reading on the balconies. Despite not feeling any connection to the church, she always felt some sort of peace whenever she stepped foot into the cathedral.

However, things were drastically different from the last time she stepped foot into this holy place.

For starters, there were piles of mangled bodies dressed in Imperial Army uniforms. The beautiful marble stairs were covered in blood, it was obvious that ancient artifacts had been stolen, the stained glass was broken, and much of the ceiling had collapsed to the ground. Through the hole in the ceiling, beautiful morning rays of sunlight were pouring through into the massive room. Despite the destruction and unnerving bloodshed, it was an oddly beautiful sight to behold.

The sunlight revealed something else about the room, as well.

Crumpled in the corner was a disheveled man with messy blonde hair. He was haphazardly propped against the wall, using a spear for support. Byleth slowly crept closer to man, holding out hope that her suspicions were correct.

As she approached, he lifted his head slightly. Despite the dirt, blood, and the eye patch that now covered his right eye, Byleth knew exactly who she was approaching.

"_Dimitri…what happened to you?"_ While not how she pictured their reunion to be, she felt a sort of melancholy comfort in at least knowing that he was alive.

Not finding any words to fill the moment, Byleth reaches her hand towards the young man.

Unsure of what will happen next, Byleth becomes sure of one thing.

She will never leave her students—no, her friends ever again.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed my first story! Fire Emblem: Three Houses is what inspired me to start writing again. The game tells a compelling story and comments on several issues involving war, conflict, friendship, and blind trust and worship. Truly, it's a great game that I could not recommend enough.

I was inspired to write this after the first scene with Dimitri post-Time Skip. That scene as well as the battle that followed were weirdly emotional moments for me as if I was personally going back to see Garreg Mach in ruins and truly seeing old friends again after a long time.

I hope to write another FE:TH story soon, but likely full-length this time! Sneak peak, it will be BylethXDimitri based. I love Dimitri, and thus I am going to write about him some more!

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed my first story for my return to Fanfiction!


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